Description of document: U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM) Board Meeting minutes, 2017-2019 Requested date: 21-October-2019 Release date: 12-November-2019 Posted date: 02-December-2019 Source of document: USAGM FOIA OFFICE Room 3349 330 Independence Ave. SW Washington, D.C. 20237 ATTN: FOIA/Privacy Act Officer Fax: (202) 203-4585 Email: [email protected] The governmentattic.org web site (“the site”) is a First Amendment free speech web site, and is noncommercial and free to the public. The site and materials made available on the site, such as this file, are for reference only. The governmentattic.org web site and its principals have made every effort to make this information as complete and as accurate as possible, however, there may be mistakes and omissions, both typographical and in content. 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UNITED STATES U.S. AGENCY FOR BROADCASTING BOARD OF GLOBAL MEDIA GOVERNORS 330 Independence Avenue SW I Washington, DC 20237 I usagm.gov Office of the General Counsel November 12, 2019 RE: Request Pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act - FOIA #FOIA20-002 This letter is in response to your Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request dated October 21 , 2019 to the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), which the Agency received on the same date. In your request, you asked for "A copy of the meetings minutes from the Board Meetings ofthe agency for Global Media between January 201 7 and present. " The Agency has completed its search for and review of records responsive to your request. The following is a list of nonexempt materials responsive to your request: https://www.usagm.gov/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Minutes-of-Apr-6-2017.pdf https://www.usagm.gov/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Minutes-of-June-14-2017 .pdf https://www.usagm.gov/wp-content/uploads/2017/l 1/Minutes-of-Aug-30-2017.pdf https://www.usagm.gov/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Minutes-of-Nov-15-2017.pdf https:/ /www.usagm.gov/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Minutes-of-March-14-2018 .pdf https://www.usagm.gov/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Minutes-of-J une-6-2018 .pdf https://www.usagm.gov/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Minutes-of-Sept-5-2018.pdf https://www.usagm.gov/wp-content/uploads/2019/03 /Minutes-of-November-14-2018.pdf https://www.usagm.gov/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Minutes-of-March-6-2019 .pdf Voice of America I Ra dio Free Europe/Radi o Liberty I Office of Cuba Broadcasting I Radio Free Asia I Mi ddle East Broadcasting Networks FOIA20-002 https://www.usagm.gov/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Minutes-of-June-5-2019.pdf There are no chargeable fees associated with this request. This concludes the Agency's response to your request and it is now closed. You may contact me or the Agency's FOIA Public Liaison at 202-203-4550 for any further assistance and to discuss any aspect of your request. Additionally, you may contact the Office of Government Information Services (OGIS) at the National Archives and Records Administration to inquire about the FOIA mediation services they offer. The contact information for OGIS is as follows: Office of Government Information Services National Archives and Records Administration 8601 Adelphi Road-OGIS College Park, Maryland 20740-6001 E-mail at [email protected] Telephone at 202-741-5770 Toll free at 1-877-684-6448 Facsimile at 202-741-5769 Finally, if you are not satisfied with this response to your request, you may file an administrative appeal with the Agency by writing to: Chairperson, Access Appeal Committee, USAGM, Suite 3349, 330 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20237. Your appeal must be postmarked or transmitted by facsimile to 202-203-4548 within 90 days of the date of this letter. If you have any questions regarding your request, please contact me at 202-203-4550 or the Office of the General Counsel at the above address. Dana Sade Assistant General Counsel 2 From: Broadcasting Board of Governors Date: April 6, 2017 Subject: Minutes of the BBG Meeting of April 6, 2017 The Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) met today in the Cohen Building (BBG headquarters) in Washington, D.C. The meeting was open for public attendance as seating capacity allowed and for public observation via streaming on the BBG website. The meeting was attended by the following Board members: Chairman Kenneth Weinstein Governor Leon Aron Governor Ryan Crocker Governor Michael Kempner Governor Karen Kornbluh Acting Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Bruce Wharton Governor Jeffrey Shell was not in attendance. Other persons in attendance are listed at the end of these minutes. The agenda of the meeting is set forth in Attachment 1. Chairman Weinstein called the meeting to order and noted that the meeting was being held in compliance with the Government in the Sunshine Act and streamed live over the Internet at the BBG website. The Chairman began with some comments on the current Board structure. He noted that on January 24, 2017, the Board voted to name him Chairman and delegated to me the full authorities of the Board Chair under the BBG Board By-Laws. He expressed his gratitude to Jeff Shell for his dedication and leadership of the Board and noted that he was critical to the transformation of the agency. He stated that he will continue to work with Board members and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) John Lansing, to maximize BBG’s impact and to advance U.S. foreign policy priorities and national interest. He then thanked the Board, CEO Lansing, and the network heads for the seamless transition. Chairman Weinstein took a moment to comment on the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017 (“NDAA”). He stated that, on December 23, 2016, President Obama signed the 2017 NDAA into law, with a signing statement – as is common for large legislation. He noted that the signing statement had raised potential constitutional concerns regarding the NDAA and the Executive Branch appointment and removal authorities. He added that, out of an abundance of caution, the Department of Justice affirmed that the current Board is enduring and Minutes of April 6, 2017 Meeting will continue to serve alongside the current CEO until a CEO is confirmed by the Senate and appointed by the President. The Chairman announced the BBG’s new Presidential Landing Team, Matt Ciepielowski and Matt Schuck, who joined the agency on January 23. He said they are working with the Board, CEO, BBG senior management, and other relevant agency staff to learn about BBG operations and management in order to ensure an open and transparent transition with the Trump Administration. He added that the Team has been invaluable assets to the agency, making the transition seamless. He also added that the Team’s attendance helps them learn the important work the Board is leading. Chairman Weinstein reported on two unexpected deaths in the BBG family over the past month. He announced that, on March 4, Oscar Barcelo, the International Broadcasting Bureau’s (IBB) Regional Marketing Officer for Latin America, had passed away. Mr. Barcelo worked closely with Voice of America’s (VOA) Latin America Division, VOA management, and with IBB Office of Marketing. Mr. Barcelo’s work extended the Latin America weekly audience to nearly 60 million in 2016 – a major driver of VOA’s large jump in reach last year. The Chairman added that, on March 23, Ner Castillo, an equipment mechanic foreman at the Tinang site of the IBB’s Philippines Transmitting Station, had passed away due to an on-the-job accident. Mr. Castillo had faithfully worked with the U.S. Government for 32 years. Mr. Castillo maintained the Philippine Station’s antennas that transmit BBG programming to listeners in China, Russia, and southern and eastern Asia. The Chairman then asked for a moment of silence for Oscar Barcelo and Ner Castillo. Following the prior Chairman’s tradition, Chairman Weinstein segued to the ongoing threats to BBG journalists around the world by highlighting the following incidents: 1) In Vietnam, Radio Free Asia (RFA) videographer Nguyen Van Hoa was still being detained for “abusing democratic freedoms,” and has not been able to contact his family or attorneys; 2) VOA Kurdish Service’s reporter, Ahmed Ghafur Hakim, was detained and had his equipment and press credentials seized while trying to cover an incident in Erbil, Iraq, but was later released with no explanation for his detention; 3) In Belarus, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s (RFE/RL) reporter Halina Abakunchyk was among several journalists detained by police in Belarus on March 12 while reporting on protests against a controversial tax on the unemployed; 4) RFE/RL President Thomas Kent traveled to Kyrgyzstan and met with Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambaev on March 30 after learning that the President had filed two defamation lawsuits against RFE/RL’S Kyrgyz Service for reports that included quotes from Kyrgyzstan’s opposition Ata-Meken (fatherland) Party which were made at a widely reported press conference following the arrest of the Party’s leader; 5) two RFE/RL correspondents in southern Russia were attacked on March 28 while they were on assignment to cover a demonstration in an incident that appears to have been at least partially orchestrated by local police; and 6) the trial of Crimean journalist Mykola Semena, an RFE/RL contributor who had been indicted on separatism-related charges by the Russian authorities controlling the Peninsula for an article he wrote criticizing Moscow’s seizure of Crimea.